There will be no description here of services, facilities, shopping or even pubs, just place where you can find the kind of quiet and sense of isolation which is getting ever harder to locate. Way down Nova Scotia’s Eastern Shore there is a stretch of untouched shoreline starting roughly at the hamlet of Whitehead and going on the town of Canso. Here you will find wilderness anchorages and some interesting inside passages between the rocky islands.

The first such anchorage is Yankee Harbour (also called Yankee Cove) found opposite Whitehead between Harbour Island and the mainland. There is a dinghy passage usable on the high tide into The Basin if exploring is your thing. At one time there was a small community here and some ruins can still be found in the bushes at the north end of the harbour. These days there is an aquaculture operation at the north end of the harbour which restricts the anchorage somewhat, but there is still plenty of room and you will not often have to share the space. The harbour is easy to enter although you need to pay close attention in thick weather. Refer to the charts and the Cruising Guide to the Nova Scotia Coast (Pilot Press) for details.

Continuing east past Port Howe, itself a fine anchorage in settled weather, you can take Dover Passage. This channel runs inside of Dover Island between Port Howe and Dover Bay and Louse Harbour. Although the entrance to Louse Harbour looks tortuous on the chart, it is not difficult in good visibility. Once inside there are several good anchorages and despite its name, Louse Harbour is one of the nicest and most isolated on the coast. A hike ashore affords some excellent views of the 8,000 hectare, Canso Coastal Barrens Wilderness Area.

This stretch of shoreline rewards exploring in clear weather. However, in thick fog or strong southerly winds and swell it is best to stand well offshore.

The area is well described in Cruising the Eastern Shore by Mike Cox, now unfortunately out of print. The Cruising Guide to the Nova Scotia Coast is available from Pilot Press and from The Binnacle in Halifax.

A favourite destination for many boaters and tourists alike is the lovely Mackinaw Island. Sitting in Lake Huron on the eastern end of the Straits of Mackinac in the state of Michigan, it covers almost ten kilometres, of which 80% is park land. It was a sacred place of the Anishinaabe and home of the Gitche Manitou (Great Spirit) some 700 years prior to the arrival of the first Europeans.

According to legend, the Island was created by the Great Hare, Michabou, and was the first land to appear after the recession of the Great Flood.

I think my favourite program was Bonanza. I would rush home after school, get my homework done, clean up the dishes, and then I would watch the ol’ West come alive with those three handsome, funny brothers who thrived on adventure.

At the time, I thought that the adventuresome West - and the pioneers who could handle just about anything thrown their way - was the stuff of make-believe.

We will probably look back on 2018 and 2019 as the years when power boats were reinvented by the combined forces of a booming U.S. economy and the wide-spread development and introduction of so many amazing new outboard engines. The result has been the development of many remarkable new designs!

One of the most inventive designers and builders is Jeanneau, and the NC 1095 is their new flagship outboard cruiser by Centkowski & Denert Design.

Lagoon has been building catamarans for too long to make a false move. That’s why when the management felt that their tried-and-true 450 model, long a cruising favourite and winner of transatlantic events such as the ARC, was getting near retirement age, they went back to a team that has designed many successful models for them: Nauta Design for interiors and VPLP design with Patrick le Quément for naval architecture and exteriors.

We spoke with Nauta Design’s Massimo Gino about his work with Lagoon.

“Along with the many custom superyacht projects we do, we have been collaborating with Lagoon since 2009.

Grounding is always an interesting idea when on a boat. Can a boat be ‘grounded’ when it’s in the water?

Electrical ground is a term used to describe the reference point in an electrical circuit from which voltage is measured, a common return path for electric current, or a direct physical connection to the earth.

Connection to ground is also important in order to trigger protective mechanisms in the event of failure of internal insulation, and also limits the build-up of static electricity.

Watch for a tsunami of innovative new boating products in the chandlery this year, as accessory manufacturers battle for your attention and dollars.

This past decade has been a real up-and-down ride for the companies who make boating equipment. When the recession hit in 2008/2009, new product development for most manufacturers ground to a sharp halt as they focused on more pressing issues, like simply keeping the lights on. It took a few years for the economy to stabilize and for the first handful of new items to begin slowly trickling out to market. For guys like me who make a living writing about new boating gear, those were pretty lean years, let me tell you.

You most likely operate your vessel with batteries that are rechargeable. Rechargeable batteries account for nearly half of worldwide battery sales. Within the rechargeable battery category, there are many different types of chemistries that are used. The most proven type of chemistry is the lead acid chemistry.

Wet cell or “flooded” batteries and Absorbed Glass Mat (AGM) batteries are both considered lead batteries and contain an electrolyte solution which causes a chemical reaction and produces electrons. These batteries are recharged when put in contact with a reverse current. But, given the way they are designed, they each have their own pros and cons and these variations should be considered before use.

Use of this Site constitutes acceptance of our Privacy Policy (effective 1.1.2016)
The material on this site may not be reproduced, distributed, transmitted, cached or otherwise used, except with the prior written permission of Kerrwil